Suction apparatus for knitting machines



1943- D. P. MOORE I SUCTION APPARATUS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 22, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Dec. 21, 1948 SUCTION APPARATUS FoR KNITTIN MACHINES David Pelton Moore, Roslyn, N'., Y-., assignor to Godfrey Bloch, Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Application June 22, 1946, Serial No. 678,588

Claims, (01. 56-9) This invention relates to improvements in suction apparatus for knitting machines, that is to an air suction apparatus to be used in conjunction with pile fabric making knitting machines where machines or attachments are employed to feed short loose fibers from rovings into the open hooks of the needles, and where it is desirable to bring the free ends of such fibers held by the hooks to the outside of the cylinder, one object of the invention being the provision of means that will by suction carry away from the fiber feeding machines all fibers thrown away normally into the atmosphere during its action and at the same operation suck the free ends of the fibers while held in the needles at each knitting point to the outside of the cylinder.

In practice when making pile fabrics on knitting machines and when short loose fibers are formed into rovings for feeding in to the fiber feeding machine which comminute such fibers and wipe them into the needles as they pass such machines, certain of the fibers, due to the centrifugal action of the elements, and particularly the speed of the final feed brush, are thrown into the air, and as this tends to have a detrimental efiect both upon the fabric being made and the machines, there is here provided a suc tion head for each feed in brush, and also when it is desirable to make a fabric as set forth in U. S. Patent 2,280,536, dated April 21, 1942, wherein the short loose fibers are placed with their free ends to the outside of the cylinder to form a cover for the back, it has been found desirable that these fibers be so moved by a suction nozzle,

which with the movement of the knitting cylinder, draws and places the free ends externally of the shanks of the needles, and also removes any loose or free fibers that may have been carried by the needles.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and its many advantages fully appreciated, attention is invited to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus per se, dotted line illustrating the top of the needle cylinder, bed plate and a fiber feeding brush of each fiber feeding machine, there being four of the latter, one to each knitting point.

Figure 2 is a side view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates in dotted lines the knitting machine, which is of the rotary cylinder type, having a bed plate I" and a knittin cylinder I".

Properly supported above the bed plate and cylinder is a substantially circular conduit 3.

having the connection or pipe 2, through which air is drawn to produce the necessary suction within the pipe 3. Leading 01f from and depending from the pipe 3 are conduits 4, here shown four in number, one to each fiber feeding machine B, and upon the depending end of each of the pipes or conduits 4, is a suction head 5, which is disposed directly above but out of contact with its respective feed brush of the respective fiber feeding machine 6. By this arrangement air rawn through the pipes 2 and 3 will cause air to be drawn in through each suction head 5, and with it any flying fibers from the feed brush of the fiber feeding machine 6, such loose fibers being carried through the pipes 4, 3 and 2 to any desired accumulating means, which may be near the knitting machine, or at a distant point.

There is also branched from the pipe 2, an open ring pipe or conduit l, which is provided with suction pipes 8, which in turn each have a nozzle 9, which lies in close proximity to the upper edge of the knitting cylinder at the knitting point, or just above the cam of such machine, there being one of these suction nozzles to each knitting point, here shown as four.

By this latter means, air drawn in through the respective nozzles, during the rotation of the cylinder I", will draw the free ends of the fibers held in the hooks of the needles in transit to the outside of the cylinder, and due to the movement of the cylinder and needles, such free ends are caused to lie against the shanks of the needles, instead of normally being toward the inside.

Although only four knitting points, and elements are here shown, it is evident that many more or less can be used, and still be within the spirit of such invention. In fact on small cylinder machines for knitting mitten and glove material only one of each are necessary.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a rotary cylinder knitting machine, and a fiber feeding machine having a needle feeding brush for wiping short loose fibers into the needles in transit, of air suction means for carrying away any flying fibers from the rotary brush of the fiber feeding machine, and suction means for drawing the free ends of the needle held fibers to the outer sides of the shanks of the needles.

2. The combination with a knitting machine having a plurality of knitting points, and a fiber feeding machine having a fiber feeding brush at each knitting point, of a suction device for removing flying fibers away from the fiber feeding brushes simultaneously.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the suction device includes an annular conduit having a suction conduit connected therewith, and a plurality of suction heads carried by said suction conduit one to each fiber feeding machine, such heads being disposed one head to each feed brush of the fiber feeding machines.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 2,

wherein a conduit is connected to the suction device, and a plurality of suction heads are connected to the said conduit, one to each knitting point and disposed to draw the free ends of the short loose needle held fibers-tothe outside oi the needles.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the suction device includes an annular conduit having a suction conduit connected therewith, a plurality of suction heads carriedby said conduit one to each fiber feeding machine, such heads being disposed one adjacent its respective feed brush of the fiber feeding machines, a second conduit connected to the suction conduit, and a plurality of nozzles carried thereby and disposed one nozzle adjacent each knitting point to act to draw the: free ends of the needle held fibers to the outside of the needles.

DAVID PELTON MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,017,073 Moore Oct. 15, 1935 2,280,535 Moore Apr. 21, 1942 

